Thursday, February 11, 2010

Bad Day for Euro Powers

- There were a lot of powerhouse clubs in midweek action yesterday, and it wasn't a very good day for most of them.

- EPL leaders Chelsea suffered a rare defeat, losing 2-1 at Everton. Louis Saha scored his 12th and 13th goals of the season for the Toffees, and could have had a hat trick had he not failed to score on a PK. It was Everton's first win over Chelsea since 2000.

- Chelsea's loss gave Man U a golden opportunity to pick up some points and move back into the league lead. They failed to fully capitalize though, earning only a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa. They were probably fortunate to save that 1 point, as they played shorthanded most of the game after Nani got sent off in the 29th minute. Adding injury to insult, Ryan Giggs fractured his arm in the match and will be gone for at least 4 weeks. The tie coupled with Chelsea's loss pulls United within 1 point of the league lead. Villa is 2 points back of Liverpool and Man City in the race for 4th.

- Arsenal and Liverpool had a big clash at the Emirates, and it was the Gunners who came away with a 1-0 victory, preserving their faint hopes for a Premiership title this season. Abou Diaby headed in a cross for the match's only score. Liverpool remains tied with Man City for the 4th and final Champions League spot in the EPL. Arsenal is in 3rd place, 6 back of Chelsea and 5 back of Man U.

- Liverpool's loss gave Tottenham a chance to put themselves all alone in 4th place with a win at EPL bottom feeders Wolverhampton, but the Spurs did not jingle or jangle, stumbling to a 1-0 defeat. They have just 1 victory so far in 2010, and have opened the floodgates for a mess of contenders for 4th place.

- Serie A leaders Inter were in action at middle of the table Parma yesterday, and could only come away with a 1-1 draw. A win would have given them a double digit points lead, but as it stands they still are in a pretty commanding position with a 9 point lead over 2nd place AS Roma.

- Sevilla has advanced to the finals of the Copa del Rey. They beat Getafe 2-1 on the aggregate despite losing 1-0 in the second leg yesterday. This was a rematch of the 2007 Copa final which Sevilla also won. Sevilla will almost certainly face Atletico Madrid in the final, as Atletico holds a 4-0 advantage in their semi.

- A high profile player is heading to MLS. Raul, Real Madrid's longtime captain and all time leading scorer, will be playing for the New York Red Bulls this year. Raul is 32 and has seen his status at the club diminish as his age increases, but it's a nice signing for MLS.

****- Chris Berman might be moving to the NFL Network. The result of this will be that I will now watch the ESPN pregame show.

- Gary Kubiak has gotten an extension from the Texans after coaching them to their first winning season in their history. He is 31-33 as coach of the Texans, and has been handsomely rewarded for his mediocrity, as he is signed to be head coach thru 2012.

- The NFL rebuffed Rush Limbaugh's attempt to buy the St. Louis Rams earlier this year, and now have found an owner for this really bad team. It's Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Marketing campaign for 2010- St. Louis Rams- Feel the Wrath of Khan!!